1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent

In 1909, the Lincoln Cent began production.
Designed by Victor D. Brenner, the Lincoln Cent was the first United
States circulating coin to bear the image of a real person. The public
loved the coin, but was less enthused about the designer’s initials,
V.D.B., appearing conspicuously at the bottom of the reverse.

The Mint quickly acted to remove the V.D.B, but not before a
microscopic mintage of 484,000 was released. The initials were restored
in 1918 on the front Lincoln’s shoulder, in much smaller letters, where
they remain today.

Over the years, many collectors have gotten
their start in the hobby with Lincoln Cents. One of the first things to
learn is that the 1909-S VDB is the toughest date to find, and thus
carries the biggest price tag.

Even a barely recognizable, authentic example sells for at least $500.
Prices rise quickly after that. Small wonder, when you think about how
many collectors are competing for such a small, finite supply.

The 1909-S VDB has been "King of the Mountain" among Lincoln Cents for
as long as anyone alive today can remember, and quite valuable. This
was not always the case. In Walter Breen's Complete
Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins, he documents that one dealer, John
Zug, purchased 25,000 of them directly from the San Francisco Mint. A
few years later, Zug was selling them for 1.75 cents each.

Hard to believe, but the best examples of the 1909-S VDB today can sell
for as
much as $50,000 to $100,000. It's highly probable some of these top
sellers came from Zug's stash that were once sold for less than two
cents!

1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent (G-4 Condition)

The blue line above depicts the
percent change since the year 2000 in retail price of the 1909-S VDB
Lincoln Cent in G-4 condtion. The red line illustrates the general
direction of the rare US coin
market during the same time period, as determined by the Rare Coin Values Index. Both start at a baseline
rating of 100 in year 2000. Because of strong collector demand, the
1909-S VDB has consistently gained in value, but still rates below the
composite score of the Rare Coin Values Index. The 1909-S VDB is only
one of 87 rare coins tracked
in the Index, which is updated monthly.

Lately, the Rare Coin Values Index is behaving like it thinks its the Dow Jones. That would be an exaggeration of course, because the Index is not climbing at THAT meteoric pace, but it has now closed…